The present invention relates generally to chewing gums and methods of making same. More specifically, the present invention relates to chewing gum bases and chewing gums made therefrom.
Chewing gum compositions typically comprise a water soluble bulk portion, a water insoluble chewable gum base portion, and flavoring agents. The water soluble portion dissipates with the flavoring agent over a period of time during chewing. The gum base portion is retained in the mouth throughout the chew.
The chewing gum base can include a number of ingredients. One ingredient that is typically used in chewing gum base is lecithin. In gum base, the lecithin acts as an emulsifier, softener, mouth texturizer, moisture retainer, stabilizer, and flavor sensory enhancer.
When used as an emulsifier, lecithin allows fats and oils to be added to the base more easily and allows same to be blended into other gum ingredients that may be present therein, such as polyvinyl acetate. This allows the resultant gum base to be more homogeneous.
As a mouth texturizer, lecithin imparts a smooth mouth feel in chewing gums made with lecithin containing bases. Flavor sensory perception is also enhanced in chewing gums made with lecithin containing bases by a pleasant feeling to the mouth and tongue.
The term lecithin, from a true chemical sense, refers to phosphatidyl choline. However, as used by suppliers of "lecithin" it refers to a brown liquid oil product or a de-oiled, powder product, derived from vegetables, e.g., corn, or beans, e.g., soy, that includes in addition to phosphatidyl choline: phosphatidyl ethanolamine; phosphatidyl inositol; phosphatidic acid; phosphatidyl serine; glycolipids; and other components. The amount of phosphatides in typically supplied lecithin oil is approximately 35% to about 65% by weight.
The use of lecithin in gum base, and in a chewing gum made from a lecithin-containing base, can create discoloration problems. In this regard, in a lecithin gum base, browning is a function of temperature and time and can occur when the manufacturing and holding temperature of the gum base exceeds 180.degree. F. for over an 8 hour period. Although, typically gum bases are manufactured within a 2 to 3 hour period at 200.degree. to 220.degree. F., at the chewing gum factory, gum base can be held for up to 18 hours at 200.degree. to 230.degree. F.
Another issue with typically supplied lecithin is that it typically causes the chewing gum to have poor taste. Specifically, lecithin, when used in chewing gum including mint flavor, causes poor mint sensations, e.g., reduced mint flavor and cooling sensation.
As noted above, lecithin provides many beneficial characteristics to chewing gum when used in a gum base. Attempts at replacing lecithin with other ingredients is possible, however, effects to flavor perception and mouth feel may be noticed. For example, attempting to replace lecithin with fats and oils will result in a chewing gum having reduced flavor and mouth feel.
It is therefore desirable to provide a base that includes the characteristics provided by lecithin, but, that does not discolor.